The Convict's Opera by Stephen Jeffreys

The Convict's Opera by Stephen Jeffreys

Stephen Jeffreys' The Convict's Opera reimagines the world's first ever musical, The Beggar's Opera, as a performance on board a creaking convict ship bound for Australia. To pass the time on their journey to Australia, the convicts put on John Gay's musical satire, The Beggar's Opera, introducing us to treacherous highwayman MacHeath and sweet Polly Peachum as they juggle love and deceit in the dirty underbelly of eighteenth-century London. It's a world the convicts have left far behind, and will probably never see again. The Convict's Opera was first performed by Out of Joint and Sydney Theatre Company at Sydney Theatre in 2008, followed by a UK tour in 2009.

'Part historical romp, part Brechtian jukebox musical, Stephen Jeffreys's script is often times funny and beautifully written'

* Sun-Herald, Australia *

Stephen Jeffreys (1950-2018) was a British playwright and a key figure at the Royal Court Theatre, London, where he was Literary Associate for eleven years, then a member of its Council. His celebrated playwriting workshops have influenced many writers, and are distilled in his book, Playwriting: Structure, Character, How and What to Write, published posthumously in 2019. Jeffreys' plays include The Libertine and I Just Stopped By to See the Man (Royal Court); Valued Friends and A Going Concern (Hampstead); Bugles at the Gates of Jalalabad (part of the Tricycle Theatre’s Great Game season about Afghanistan); The Convicts’ Opera (Out of Joint); Lost Land (starring John Malkovich, Steppenwolf, Chicago); The Art of War (Sydney Theatre Company) and A Jovial Crew (RSC). His adaptation of Dickens’ Hard Times has been performed all over the world. He wrote the films The Libertine (starring Johnny Depp) and Diana (starring Naomi Watts). He co-authored the Beatles musical Backbeat which opened at the Citizens Theatre and went on to seasons in London’s West End, Toronto and Los Angeles. He translated The Magic Flute for English National Opera in Simon McBurney’s production. His plays are published by Nick Hern Books.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781848420151
ISBN 10	1848420153
Title	The Convict's Opera
Author	Stephen Jeffreys
Series	Nhb Modern Plays
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Nick Hern Books
Year published	2008-10-02
Number of pages	128
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.